“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”

~ George Bernard Shaw

About a year ago I went through a really low point in my life. I fell into a routine of using my imagination as an outlet. When I closed my eyes I was able to picture a better, healthier version of myself. I fantasized about what my life could look like. But with time I realized something that would soon lead me to a life transformation: you can’t dream if you don’t use it as inspiration.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not writing this as if my life is all of a sudden figured out, it’s not. I am simply writing this because I was able to realize the change I needed so that I could grow. And if this happens to help someone else out there, then that is even better.

My story:

Going into college, I felt this immense amount of pressure that I had to live up to. It wasn’t pressure from any one in particular, but the pressure I put on myself to be great. For pretty much my whole life, I had a roadmap of my future. I put all I could into one basket because that was what I knew. That was what I was comfortable with. But one day I realized that maybe it was time for me to find what else I am meant for.

The pressure to succeed in one aspect of my life was limiting my growth in everything else. I wanted to become the best version of myself but I felt that under the circumstances, it was not possible. I constantly played different scenarios in my head, but I always ended up avoiding the change.

My reality was that I not only had to change my life drastically but I had to immerse myself into new environments that I was not comfortable in. It was 100% up to me to see the change I wanted and to act on it.

“You can’t just have a dream, you have to have a plan”

And guess what happened?

All that pressure that I was putting on myself and all of that stress about what people would think, it suddenly went away. Because work ethic and determination isn’t something someone can just give you, it’s something you created for yourself. And it doesn’t end when you quit a sport. If you were able to work hard to get to that point of success, you will be able to outwork people throughout your whole life. That urge and grit you had to be the best will continue to translate into all aspects of your life.

So my advice to you, identify what in your life is holding you back. What is stopping you from becoming the best version of yourself? Is it someone? Is it fear? It is embarresment? Or is it simply that you will be uncomfortable with change?

When you start to only dream, you are failing yourself.

Act on those dreams. Make a plan for yourself. Figure out what makes you happy and start designing the best way to utilize that. Because there are so many things out there now, there is no need to drown in anxiety when you can plant your seed and start growing somewhere else.